The First Step is Always the Hardest
by Agent Zeitlos
Summary: Stranded on a strange planet, a young man will have to find his place. In a world the doesn't obey the same laws of nature he knows, how will this stranger survive?
1. (Un)Familiar Surroundings

_**A/N: I don't own RWBY or Mass Effect. If I did, I wouldn't be writing about it**_ _._

* * *

 _ **March 27**_ _ **th**_ _ **, Year Unknown**_

 _ **Emerald Forest, Kingdom of Vale**_

"Ugh…" I groaned out, hearing the faint beeping of the impact alarm going off beside my head. "What the hell.. happened last night Sal?" I continue holding my eyes shut to attempt to ward off the headache I feel building around my implant.

I try reaching up to rub my eyes before realizing I can't move my arm. _'Oh crap oh crap'_ I panic, opening my eyes to look down at myself, before laughing. _'I'm an idiot, my arm is just stuck in the crash web.. webbing...'_

"Uhh, Sal?" I glance around the pod, seeing nothing but the empty seats in front of me. _'The hell, I know she was in here. That one marine guy too.'_ I start trying to undo the straps holding into the seat, deciding that maybe they were outside getting fresh air. ' _Though why they left me wouldn't make any sense. I'm right by the door, they wouldn't have missed me.'_

Finally prying the lock off the seat, I slide down onto the floor, content to rest for a second and check myself for injuries. _'John always said first step was to make sure I wasn't broken. Can't help anyone if I'm messed up.'_ Glancing around again, I flick my wrist to pull up my omni-tool, pausing when I don't see the orange glow out of the corner of my eye.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me." I lift my arm up to my eyes, pulling back the sleeve to inspect the emitter band wrapped around my wrist. It's so obviously fried that the only question I have is "Why the hell is my arm not burned?" On closer inspection I realize another, even more confusing fact.

' _A Nexus IV? This is Sal's o-tool. Only she would have something so expensive when she's barely 80.'_ I disconnect the busted hardware, tossing it aside as I resign myself to the old-fashioned way from when I was a kid: poke and see if it hurts.

I find, during my fully professional check-up, that my only problem is a small piece of metal in my lower thigh. _'How did I not even notice this?'_ I laugh to myself, before pulling out the remains of my pouch of medi-gel. "Damn. I'm gonna need more after this." I grab a piece of my crash webbing that's hanging beside me and bite down on it, before yanking out the shard and smothering the cut with the last little bit of the miracle healing mud.

Dropping everything, I lay back on the floor and try to relax as I feel my adrenaline pump, the echo of my definitely manly scream fading in my ears. "Sal?" I try calling out, hoping she can hear me from outside

Hearing no answer, I sit up and start at the door to the pod, tilting my head to the side. ' _The hatch is still… sealed. The hell?_ ' I jump up, stumbling on my leg before grabbing the wall to steady myself. _'Somethings not right here, this should be unlocked if they exited.'_

I limp over to the hatch, glancing at the sparking console before dismissing it and searching for… "There you are, little bugger." I grab my helmet, examining it and finding a large hole in the face mask, and "Dammit, seals are melted, big bust here. And oh, now I'm talking to myself, joy of joys."

' _Well, either this planet has breathable air, or it's not my problem anymore_ ' I sigh, moving back to the hatch and pressing the four egress buttons on the edges of the frame. _"Warning: Emergency egress explosives activated. Please stand clear of the door."_ I lean back, grabbing my Phalanx off my hip and readying a barrier as I get ready for anything.

* * *

"What the actual FUCK are you?!" I shout, shooting at the bear-like creature attacking me. I'd already dealt with its friend, and had taken a hit that had tossed me into a tree like a charging krogan when I stopped to stare at the dissolving corpse _. 'This thing is huge, but at least it isn't fast. I can fight this.'_

I jump back from a large paw that tried grabbing my leg, trying to let my handgun cool down as I take a breath and prep a throw. "Let's see how you like this big boy!" I shout tossing my biotics in a curve that catches the bear on the side, propelling it into a tree, and causing a satisfying _crunch_ to echo through the clearing. I lean over and place my hands on my knees, eager for a breather after the sudden fight. Sighing I move to holster my pistol before hearing a growl from where I downed the bear. ' _Still alive? Hits like a krogan, tough as a_ -' my thought is cut off as I glance up at a creature that was definitely not the bear.

' _Is that… a werewolf?'_ I think, backing up as I raise my pistol once more. _'Hahah, now I know I'm losing it. Werewolves.'_ The beast creeps towards me before suddenly breaking out into a dash, flinging itself across the clearing. I barely have time to fire off a shot or two before I'm flying across the clearing again, feeling my hardsuit crunch as I impact a large rock on the opposite side. "Dear God that hurt" I groan, before I have to dodge to the side to avoid the beast again.

Standing back up as the werewolf shakes its head from hitting the boulder, I take a second to charge my biotics in my fist while searching for my pistol. I spot it a small distance away, deciding to leave it for now in favor of my powers. ' _Got to be careful, I'm already weak and consistent use is making me oh so tired_.'

Turning back to my foe I let out a small growl and toss out my throw like an uppercut, sending the creature up into the air a few feet before it falls back to the ground with an audible _thud_. "Just give up and run dammit, even animals are smart enough to know that!" I cry out, tired of the battle already. Of course with my luck, the beast just had to ignore my reasonable plea and turn itself to face me again, beginning a noticeably slower run.

"Fuck it" I mutter, giving a small pull as smiling as the creature stumbles and slides on its face to rest a few feet from me. "Just die already!" I cover my fists in a biotic glow and swing like a hammer, smashing it's head into the ground, and flinching as I feel my hands pass through after a little resistance. "Oh eww" I moan, falling back onto my rear as it begins to dissolve in front of me.

Groaning, I begin searching for any other threats, my adrenaline pumping as I carefully walk back to my weapon. After seizing it and spending a few minutes prowling the perimeter, I decide the danger had passed and flop back onto the dirt to take a few calming breaths. ' _Could this get any worse_?' I think to myself, beginning to check my remaining gear.

"Ah, it can." I notice that my chest plate, having valiantly saved my life, had been rewarded with a nice, and surprisingly straight, crack across the back of it, in addition to the many scuffs and scratches of being beaten around like a baseball. ' _Well, better bad protection than none I guess_.' Sighing once more, I decide my scouting trip is over and pick myself up and head back down the path to my pod.

* * *

' _Alright, time for a status check_.' The sky outside had darkened as I had made it back to the crash site, and I was currently inside the pod with a pile of everything I could find that looked useful. At least I knew what most of it was, even if I hadn't used it before. ' _Step one, my health. Hole in leg, check and healing. Broken bones, none, amazingly_.' The fight I had with the local wildlife had me feeling confident I could take a tree on again while in flight. Stretching my arms, I stifled a groan as I felt pain throb at the movement.

"Bruises, definite check, star, and circle." My chest was killing me, to say nothing for my back. I had removed most of my hardsuit to examine the damage more thoroughly and discovered that the split on the back was deep enough that I could feel it through the layer of impact padding on the inside of the chest piece.

' _Gear next. And big surprise, there isn't much in this damn thing_.' I stared down at the handful of objects in front of me, sighing at my luck. A broken omni-tool band, belonging to my friend. I close my head as I remember her, knowing that the chances of seeing her again are slim to none. No-one deserves to die in space, or however it was that my classmate had come to be missing.

"I'm sorry" I whisper, a tear sliding down my face even as I sat back up and wiped the evidence away. I hadn't known her for all that long, but we had been fast friends. ' _Mourn later, survive now_.' My next thought brought me back to my collection, and my next item, my pistol. I had removed the ammo block to see it roughly missing a quarter of the block, and apart from a few dents and scratches, seemed serviceable enough. Next up was an item I always had with me, though its usefulness had never mattered until I realized I was out of medi-gel.

' _An old first aid kit. At least I can care for myself if I get hurt again_.' The kit was outdated, not particularly large, but it contained a few items I knew I might need in the coming days. Thankfully I knew a little first aid, having been taught at my school the importance of know how to help with mild injuries when the miracle paste ran out. Saleria had always teased me about keeping it, but I couldn't help but wonder if she'd have known how to use it anyway if she and the marine were here too.

' _Speaking of_ …' Next item on my list was the piece of metal I had pulled out of my leg. On closer inspection it had been revealed to be a broken piece of a badge, similar to the one my brother and most Alliance members wore on their combat hardsuits. I could make out the remains of a zero and a three, and had gathered it belonged to one of the marines of the 103rd that had been stationed at Grissom.

' _Poor man probably was just expecting an easy station, before heading back home to his family. Now, he won't have the chance_..' I caught myself tearing up again, and sniffed before looking away to the last few items. A broken multitool that was sitting alone inside a hardware compartment, a few cigarettes that must have been stashed in my helmet from the last time I smoked, and a single, large, thermite grenade.

"Now, what to do with you.." I pondered the grenade, knowing the reason it was there. If the pod fell behind enemy lines, the occupants were supposed to use it to destroy the internal systems and prevent anything from being gathered from the wreckage. On the other hand, it was a weapon I could use on this planet.

I sighed, knowing that the grenade probably wouldn't help against the wildlife if they were fast enough to just dodge it, but I had yet to see any sign of civilization during my short hike through the surrounding area. Destroying my pod seemed a useless idea, so in my indecision I went to the voice that always helped my make choices.

* * *

"In a survival situation, think before you act. This is important, because you need to know that you'll never be prepared for the things you'll encounter, no matter how hard you try. Say you crash and with you are a shotgun, rifle, pistol, and a box of Mister E's. What would you take with you?" The boy stops to think, wondering where his brother is going with this.

"Can I take it all J?" He looks up curiously, smile falling when the young man starts to laugh. "You can try bud, but look at you. You're thin, fast, and not the strongest man in the world." He laughs again as the kid pouts, kicking his foot at the older boy. "I'm not saying you always will be, but you're built more for speed, like myself. Try again kid."

"I'm not a kid, I'm 10 years old! I'm already stronger than Janey too! And I guess I'll take the rifle and pistol and some of your nasty space food.." The man chuckles, sitting on a log and patting beside him. As the younger boy hops up he speaks "That's a good choice, but what if there's a village nearby? If you waste energy carrying the food for nothing, you'll just be tired if an attack comes. On the other hand, if there's nothing nearby, and no wildlife that might attack you, the weight of the rifle can do the same thing." He smiles, pulling the kid beside him into a hug that he struggles out of. "Oh, and don't think just because you might be stronger than your cousin you can beat her up. I know for a fact all her dancing lessons make it easier for her to jump away and tickle you to death."

The young boy looks up, shocked. "She told you about that?! She's so mean!" His scowl is broken his brother's laughter again. "Don't laugh at me! And what's the point of your question then if I can't take anything?" The man sighs and lets his laughter die down, wrapping an arm around his younger brother.

" There's not always a choice bud. If you know you can use the weapons, take what you need. Same for the food. Maybe later you get into a fight, and should have had the extra gun. Maybe you have to eat little because you didn't bring enough food. Just know that whatever happens, you made a choice where someone else might have been too scared to. And you aren't scared are you?" He glances down, grinning at the conviction in the child's eyes.

"I'm not scared of anything! And one day I'll prove it, and I'll save you from being crashed somewhere when you're scared!" The man chuckles and wraps the boy in a hug. "I know you will buddy, I'll be waiting for you if it happens."

* * *

I sigh as I remember John's words, knowing that I would make the wrong choice anyways because of course I would. "Alright, grenade for the pod. So far I haven't seen any animal that I would need you for anyways." Sighing again, I pick myself up and step outside to check again for anything nearby. Nothing catching my eye, I turn to go back into the pod to sleep, freezing as something I had managed to miss during my hike back makes and appearance.

'The hell is up with that moon? It look like someone crashed a meteor into it or something.' Shaking my head, I look again to be sure. Yep, broken moon. Definitely odd, this planet was. I walk back into the pod, resolving to leave in the morning and begin a search for, hopefully, friendly life.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, did a rewrite of the story after a review had me reread it. I won't say this is any better, but that up for you all to decide. This was supposed to be uploaded sooner, but after a week of hospital visits thanks to work, I only just now finished it. Enjoy, and don't be shy to review if you have any ideas on something that I should improve on.**_


	2. Lost and Found

_**A/N: RWBY and Mass Effect are owned by Rooster Teeth and Bioware, respectively. Not me.**_

* * *

 _ **March 28**_ _ **th**_ _ **, Year Unknown**_

 _ **Emerald Forest, Kingdom of Vale**_

The silence was deafening to my ears. Following a short fight with a few more of the werewolf beasts from the day before, I had resumed my trek through the forest I had landed in, still searching for any sign of life. The frosted dew crunched softly under my feet as I continued through the underbrush, thinking on my most recent thought. _'The silence is deafening. Who even thought that would make sense as a saying? And why does it make sense anyways?'_

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't completely silent, there was enough noise from various small critters roaming around to keep me alert for anything out of the ordinary. But the utter lack of having a companion was a new sensation for me, and on a strange, alien planet, it wasn't the most welcome feeling.

As I continued crunching my way through the woods, I quickly patted down my gear, making sure nothing had been disturbed from my battle. My handgun was in its holster, first aid kit on my belt. My busted helmet was attached to the magnetic strip I had removed from the back of my hardsuit and placed on my belt, keeping it available for head protection in case I came under fire. After all, a biotic barrier could only do so much, and my own was weak to begin with.

' _I've been walking for a decent 4 or 5 hours now'_ I thought to myself. _'Maybe a quick break before I continue will do me some good.'_ I groaned as I sat on the ground, my back to a tree as I gazed at a few berry bushes around me. Maybe They would be edible, but then again, maybe I would just die on the spot. Besides, I could go a few days without eating, though I certainly wouldn't enjoy it.

' _Alright, weapon check.'_ I unholstered my Phalanx and, after some pulling on a cracked pin, removed the side panel to inspect the interior wiring and heatsink. _'This thing is gonna need some help soon, if I keep letting it get knocked around any more.'_ I snorted, thinking back to my fight when I had been blind sided again and had watched my pistol fly into a tree, wincing at the cracking noise it had emitted from the impact. _'Though I doubt this multitool has the tools need to repair wiring. Now that would be…'_

My thoughts faded as a particularly acrid smell hit my nose, burning slightly as I sneezed. Smoke, and a lot of it, was beginning to waft through the trees, though the crackling noise of fire was absent. The fire must not be close, though where there is fire, there might be people. After all, a forest fire didn't just start in a wet forest, with no help, right?

Quickly slapping my handgun back together, I clambered to my feet and took off at a light jog in the direction the smoke was coming from.

* * *

"Shit.." I muttered as I took in the scene before me. I had found a small village, maybe ten or so buildings total, all ruined by fire damage. It wasn't hard to see what had happened, judging by the handful of dissolving monsters around, in addition to the two I had dispatched upon arriving. There were also corpses laying around the street, having all been mauled by whatever beasts had attacked them.

' _Well, at least I know there are people on this planet. Humans too, surprisingly._ ' I slowly walk down the street, towards what seemed to be the town square, inspecting the bodies as I passed. The people had seemed to be running into the town, so I followed their trail until I reached the middle of the village. There was a small pile of the bear like creatures by a fountain in the center of town, and beside them, a man, who was sliding a metal spear out of the last one before falling to his knees beside them.

"Shit!" I yelled, dashing towards him as he fell back against the fountain. The man glanced up at me as I arrived, and I took his appearance in. He was older, greying hair covering his head and a white beard hanging off his face. His clothing, a rough tunic and pants, were torn and bloodied, and the increasing red stains showed that most of the blood was in fact his own.

"Hah _*cough*_ I'm getting slow in my old age" He barked out a quiet laugh, a soft gurgle behind his words. "Run north to Sasau kid, tell them about the Grimm. There's a herd coming." His voice begins fading out as he talks, ending his final sentence in a whisper that I barely heard.

"Sir, hold on!" I shout, glancing around for anything I could use as a bandage. As my eyes returned to the old man's face, I saw the last of the light fade from his eyes, saw them glass over, and brushed my fingers over them to let him sleep. Standing, I gazed at the damage wrought through the village, at the burning buildings and the bodies that the monsters had left behind. Suddenly feeling an urge to lose the lunch I never had, I ran to a nearby bush, to avoid desecrating the dead man's body.

' _Shit… these people… did any get away?'_ I leaned against a fence and let the tears fall from my eyes, avoiding looking at the dead scattered through the street. After a few minutes, during which I vomited again, I shakily stood to my feet, walking back over to the old man. I leaned down and grasped the spear he had dropped, to take it to the next village. He was a man that had died to try and protect his people, and I felt he deserved to be remembered.

I glanced up at the sun, nearly overhead at a noon-point, then down at the single road leaving the town. I sighed, before beginning to walk out of the town. "Hopefully this Sasau isn't too far away. These poor people.."

* * *

"Huntsman!" I hear a shout from ahead as I sprint, my heart pounding in my chest as I push my body to run as fast as I can. Behind me, I hear the crashing of the three bear creatures that are chasing me, and I spare a glance back to see one explode out of a large bush at the tree line, pausing to roar into the air as the second one dashes past it. "GRIMM!" I can hear a bell begin ringing as the voice from the wall screams the word, and I can see the gate ahead begin to swing shut slowly.

"No, wait! Help me!" I shout, panting heavily as I run into the shut wooden gate. I turn around, only to dive to the side with a yelp as a huge bear with what looks like bone plates covering parts of its body _slams_ into the gate where my body just had been. ' _Shit, shit, shit!_ ' I scramble backwards across the grass, lifting my pistol and dumping shots into the beast to no effect. I try tugging at my biotics but I'm just too tired, and barely manage to raise to my feet before a massive paw slaps me across the dirt path.

' _Damn, I can't die here!_ ' I think to myself, coughing up blood onto the earth beside my head. I weakly lift my head as the monster howls, before it yelps as a shining steel blade bursts through its chest. As the bear slumps to the side, I see a tall blond man already sprinting to another beast, knocking away a striking paw before removing the arm with his blade. As the third bear dashes up, the man spins, bringing his shield in front of him just in time for the beast to bowl him over. "No!" I shout, bringing my biotics into a weak push that knocks the bear of course as it charges the warrior down again.

The man leaps to his feet and runs to the creature, which had just impacted a tree and was slowly climbing to its feet. After thrusting his blade through its head, the blond man turned to me and jogged over to where I lay in the dirt, panting with exertion. "Are you okay young man? That was a hell of a hit you took." As he grabs me by the arm and helps me walk back to the gate, which was opened just enough for us to squeeze in.

"Would have avoided it if I had reached the gate in time." I groaned, clipping my handgun back onto my waist. As we sat down, I got a better look at the man that had saved me. He was tall, with shaggy blond hair and a light beard, with a sharp jawline that looked like it was more accustomed to wearing a frown than most peoples. He was clad in armor, a white chest piece and shoulder pauldrons, set on top of a thin chainmail top that covered his cloth tunic and trousers.

"Thank you for helping me sir. I thought I was done for when the gate shut." I reach out to shake his hand, taking note the sword at his hip that matched his armor. I could swear I had seen him holding a shield, but it had seemingly disappeared. "I don't blame the guards though, those beasts were moving pretty damn fast."

The man rubbed his neck almost sheepishly "Yeah, I told them to seal it when I heard the roar. I wasn't aware you were out there, I would have joined you immediately if I had been. The name's Nicolas Arc."

* * *

He looked me up and down, obviously taking in my armor. "That's quite a bit of damage you've got there. Don't tell me you tried taking them on with no aura?" His blue eyes adopted a hard, almost scolding look, and I was immediately reminded of some of the instructors back at Grissom.

"No, sir." I replied, "I took off as soon as I saw those three monsters. I had to get to Sasau as soon as I could because of them." I glanced around the small market, seeing a few people peaking out of their doors or windows as a handful of guards rushed past us to the gate. "Is… this it sir? I honestly was just hoping it was the first town."

"This is Sasau, kid. But if it was the first town, that means you came from Handel, right?" Seeing my confused expression, he clarified "It's about an hour south of here, small place, only a handful of buildings? You can't have missed…" He trailed off as he finally noticed the metal spear I had attached to my back. Landing on it had not been comfortable.

"Where did you get that spear?" He asked, taking a step back from me and resting his hand on his sword handle. I quickly raised my hands and replied "He-hey now! There was an old man at this village I passed through just south of here, I found him fighting off a bunch of those werewolf things! He told me to run here and warn the village, and I took his spear to give to whoever was in charge as proof of what I found."

I slowly reached behind my head to lift the spear off of my back, before setting it down beside me. The blonde warrior eyed me carefully as he stepped forward, hooking the spear with his foot and kicking it up into his hand. "What happened to the old man you took this from?" he asked, examining the small cracks and nicks in the metal shaft. I kept my hands raised, taking a step back as I answered, just in case he became too upset with the answer.

"He died sir. I tried to help him as he breathed his last, but he just directed me to run here as fast as I could." The older man's head snapped up as I said he died, and his face held a look of sadness. "How did he die?" he asked me, setting the spear back down. "Did he fight to the last?"

"Yes sir, I found him taking down the last one, surrounded by the bodies of those monstrous bastards. No other survivors, I checked the bodies on my way to the square. Whatever those things are, they didn't stop to eat the bodies, just mauled them and went on their way to the next." I shook my head, frowning as I remembered the scene of the village. "It was disgusting, to be honest. I wish I could have done more for them."

I lifted my head and saw the man gazing off into the forest, hand gripping the pommel of his sword. He turned to me and reached out a hand, pulling me to my feet as I grabbed it. He asked, "Do you think you'll be ok in a few hours to go and do something for those people?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Yeah, I'm alive! This story hasn't died out of the gate, I just work too much at my actual job. I got motivation to do more work on this story over my last few 24-hour shifts, so I should be putting up another chapter soon. Merry Christmas to all, Happy Holidays to the rest, and have a great New Years!**_


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